Yogi orders EOW probe against suspended officer

Lucknow, Feb 26 (IANS) Continuing with his zero-tolerance policy on corruption, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to investigate the charges against suspended Unnao district magistrate Devendra Kumar Pandey over alleged irregularities in expenditure of Composite School Grant fund of the Basic Shiksha Department.

The chief minister had suspended the officer on Saturday.

According to the government spokesman, Devendra Kumar Pandey had been indicted for financial irregularities in an inquiry conducted by the Lucknow commissioner.

He was found prima facie responsible for taking wrong decisions in spending the Composite School Grant fund in the district and in implementation of various programmes linked to it.

The inquiry found that most of the material which had to be purchased under the scheme was procured from one firm in Jaunpur at rates higher than the market rates. The quality of the purchased goods too was below the prescribed standards, the spokesperson said.

The firm was not registered under the GST, he added.

The district basic education officer involved in the case too had been suspended earlier.

The irregularity pertains to purchase of sweaters, sports kit, footwear, socks, books, furnishings and similar gadgets for schools run by the UP Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad.

Meanwhile, Kannauj district magistrate Ravindra Kumar will be the new district magistrate of Unnao, an official spokesperson said.